The first file is an excerpt from the writings of George Fitzhugh, a famous antebellum southern intellectual, in which he responds to the abolitionist attacks on slavery. In a couple of paragraphs, sum up and analyze his logic and argument. What does it tell us about how deluded white southerners had become about slavery? Also, do you notice him make a point that actually undermines his argument without him seeming to realize it?
Once slave owners began to respond like this to abolitionists, the abolitionist ramped up their publications to prove their points, the most effective of which were more and more memoirs from runaway slaves. The second linked file is an excerpt from one of them, in which Josiah Henson describes the biggest memory from his childhood. In a couple of paragraphs, sum up the events he explains, focusing on how it helps illustrate some of the points from our class lecture on Antebellum slavery.
Lastly, having read this two different perspectives on slavery, I would like to hear your thoughts and reflections on these two documents. You can go in any direction with this that you’d like, but focus on your personal thoughts.
USE DIRECT QUOTES FROM EACH SOURCE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.